Publisher's Summary

Understanding the basis of making moral choices is crucial as society becomes increasingly complex. Moral Choices: An Introduction to Ethics gives college students a solid grounding in both theory of ethics and its applications to the social issues of today. Avoiding undue dogmatism, Professor Scott B. Rae outlines the distinctive elements of Christian ethics. Students are also exposed to various ethical systems and the key historical figures associated with them, including Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, and Kant.

After describing a seven-step procedure for tackling ethical dilemmas, the author uses case studies to address a number of current issues: abortion, reproductive technology, euthanasia, capital punishment, sexual ethics, the morality of war, and the legislation of morality. Discussion of medical ethics draws upon the most up-to-date material available.

Whilst Scott Rae has adequately explained some of the different approaches to ethical reasoning, I was disappointed to hear so many pro-religious (Christian) arguments stated as apparent fact. Happy to hear how different religions approach ethical decision-making and respect their viewpoints, but there are some chapters that are hard to listen to as the reader constantly interjects mid-sentence with old and new testament chapter & verse references. Every now and then Mr Rae declares how moral decisions are determined from the perspective of the individual but rather than exploring what decisions people make and why, too often he falls back on the argument that such-and-such must be so-and-so because the Bible tells us so - as if this is an indisputable fact which, ironically, I found to be a touch unethical. Secular conclusions are generally overlooked. The author has a good understanding of the topic - I just felt that it was designed as a text book for students of Christian Ethics.